JAPAN

Global regulators will give banks a grace period before forcing them to implement stricter capital rules, three people said on Wednesday, easing concerns that lenders might need to issue massive amounts of shares in the near future.

American Airlines said that it, private equity firm TPG and Oneworld alliance partners could increase their $1.1 billion investment offer to Japan Airlines (9205.T), depending on the struggling carrier's restructuring plan.

U.S. President Barack Obama has written a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il amid efforts by the United States to persuade Pyongyang to return to nuclear disarmament talks.

Shifting views on interest rates in 2010 whipsawed markets on Wednesday, with the Australian dollar tumbling as investors scaled back their bets on aggressive rate hikes, while U.S. Treasuries rose before the last Federal Reserve meeting this year.

The Australian dollar fell and bonds jumped on Wednesday on decreased chances of an interest rate rise in February, while Japanese bank shares surged on a report of a possible delay in new global bank capital rules.

Chinese auto parts maker Ningbo Yunsheng Co (600366.SS) plans to buy a 79.1 percent stake in unlisted Japanese auto parts firm Nikko Electric Industry Co, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.

Asia's aggressive emission targets and legislation around carbon and power use are expected to drive demand for energy efficiency products and services, creating lucrative opportunities for investors in the sector.

AT&T Inc (T.N) is looking to sell its outsourced services business in Japan, in a pullback for the U.S. giant from Asia's largest telecommunications market, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono agreed on Thursday to cooperate to lead the Copenhagen talks to the success.

Volkswagen is poised to expand its automotive empire by making a full takeover bid for German truckmaker MAN SE, a German newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing an unidentified company executive.

Struggling Japanese chipmakers NEC Electronics and Renesas Technology said they aim to turn an operating profit in the first year after their merger next April by outsourcing production and eliminating business overlap.

The dollar steadied on Tuesday and Asian stocks wavered, despite improving appetite for riskier assets, as investors turned cautious ahead of a meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The dollar steadied on Tuesday while Asian stocks wavered as investors turned cautious ahead of a meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve although Abu Dhabi's decision to throw a lifeline to Dubai continued to bolster risk appetite.

Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co, Japan's biggest maker of construction steel, said it would cut the price of H-shaped steel, its mainstay product, to the lowest level in six years due to weak domestic demand.

Toyota Motor Corp will begin selling affordable plug-in hybrid cars in 2011, upping the ante on General Motors and Nissan Motor as they aim to take the lead in the field of rechargeable cars.

GBP: This week has a lighter slate of economic releases scheduled in the United Kingdom than the previous week. Look for the Rightmove House Price Index (last -1.6%) plus the BOE's quarterly bulletin on Monday, then CPI (1.8%Y/Y) and RPI (0.2%Y/Y) on Tuesday.

Toyota Motor Corp will begin selling affordable plug-in hybrid cars in 2011, upping the ante on General Motors and Nissan Motor as they aim to take the lead in the field of rechargeable cars.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan's largest bank, priced a share sale at 428 yen on Monday to raise up to 1.03 trillion yen ($11.6 billion) to help meet stricter global capital requirements.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.59 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.39 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.49 percent.

Asian stocks rebounded on Monday after Dubai said it had received $10 billion from Abu Dhabi to repay debt, which pushed down the yen and boosted the euro and emerging Asian currencies as risk appetite improved.

Asian stocks eased on Monday as the dollar hovered near six-week highs on views the Federal Reserve might raise rates sooner than expected, putting pressure on oil and commodity prices.